The Downtown Women's Club womensDISH blog

Speak up or others will speak for you

I was buried yesterday doing some volunteer work for a local politician.  Why take the time out of an already busy schedule?  Because if I don't speak up, I can't sit back and expect others to do it for me.  Add to that, I generally like people who work on campaigns - they're energized, opinionated and driven. 

Because I was swamped I didn't follow the breaking news of Maria Shriver's A Woman's Nation report.  I finally got a chance to look at it today.  Not to take anything away from the groundbreaking event and it's sheer scope, but I did kind of feel like I was reading a special edition of Redbook or Family Circle magazine.  Most of the focus (and I confess to not getting through all of it) was on traditional families (Male/female/2.5 kids).  This may be why I tuned out after a while.

Sure, as a remarried mom with a blended family I appreciated the "family" focus to some extent, but I've only recently joined this "traditional" club.  I far more relate to being single, and noted that there wasn't much in the report for the majority of my friends: single without kids, single parents, empty nesters, DINKs (double-income no kids), same-sex partnerships, etc.  It sort of felt like a large part of the population was missing from the conversation which focused on working moms and dads. 

So far, the most vocal about this has been Melanie Notkin, Founder, SavvyAuntie.com.  In an Editor's Letter on her site, she writes how PANK's (Professional Aunts No Kids) were left out of the conversation.

I agree that drastic changes need to be made as women account for 50% of the US workforce. And I applaud Maria Shriver, the Center for American Progress, and NBCU - the media platform that will be sharing the findings with the nation this week - for finally bringing to light the new face of the American economy.

And I agree that the American family has changed and support all efforts that enable moms and dads to work and raise their children without having to sacrifice as much as they do today.

But when speaking of the nation's women and the economy, women without children who love, nurture and support the children in their lives should be part of the conversation. The women who have discretionary income and time that they spend in our economy should have a voice.

Otherwise, we really haven't come a long way, have we?

I'd go one further - women without children, even those who can't stand children and prefer dogs, cats or houseplants should have a voice.

Kudos for Maria Shriver for starting the conversation in a big way, and also to Melanie for speaking up for a segment of the population that was left out.

What do you think?  Have you read the report?  Let us know!  It's your chance to speak up before someone else speaks for you.

Diane K. Danielson, founder, DowntownWomensClub.com and author The Downtown Women's Club Beginner's Guide to Facebook.

p.s. My favorite part of the report is that it brought up conversations about the ridiculous school schedule and how it was created at the turn of the century to have the kids help in the fields. This was a topic we covered back in 2007 when we wrote about aligning school days with work. 

What Steps to Take Now to Improve a Company's Boardroom

While we are still in the midst of proxy season (i.e. able to vote for directors and rule changes as stockholders) I thought I would bring to your attention the eight-step action plan Toni Wolfman, tireless advocate for getting more women on corporate boards, suggested in a recent article in Women's Business. "The action plan was formulated by the InterOrganization Network (ION), a national consortium of executive women’s organizations dedicated to advancing women to corporate boards and is designed for companies that want to make sure that their boardrooms are as strong as possible. "

1. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current board through a comprehensive and rigorous self-assessment process within the framework of the company’s strategic plan and its evolving marketplace.

2. Develop a forward-looking succession plan that addresses the gaps that are important to fill in the short term, as well as likely emerging needs. The plan should reflect attention to diversity, including gender, race, background, international experience, industry and functional skill sets.

3. Be open to change and willing to replace some longtime directors to make room for new talent.

4. Be flexible and actively seek out qualified candidates whose skills and experiences relate to the company’s strategic needs, going beyond current colleagues and acquaintances to identify them.

5. Build a pipeline of future directors by developing relationships with potential candidates who are women and minorities, as well as with individuals and organizations that can identify nontraditional candidates who meet the company’s needs.

6. In board searches, insist that the nominating committee interview and seriously consider women candidates and that executive search firms include several women in their slates. Create a short list of all female candidates, especially if the board has no women directors.

7. Reject “tokenism.” Make sure that the board includes a critical mass of women and minority directors.

8. Reach out to local and national organizations that promote board diversity and can provide access to accomplished women with relevant experience in every sector of the global economy.

As Toni states as she concludes the article, now is a tremendous time to take action to improve corporate boardrooms.

What are you doing to make it happen? If you are the CEO of a company and/or sit on a corporate board I suggest you print the article and distribute it to every director particularly the chairperson and members of the nominating committee.  As Gandhi said "We must be the change we want to see in the world".

Susan C. Hammond

www.schammond.com

Is it time for Citi to elect more women directors?

Today Citigroup, headquartered in NY City announced four new nominees for their board of directors.  And yes, you guessed it, all men.  Last week ION (InterOrganization Network), the organization that focuses on putting more women on boards, released its 5th Annual Status Report of Women Directors and Executive Officers.  The statistics on the how many women serve as directors and executive officers of public companies continue to show only small gains. 

While Citi currently boasts two women directors, Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox and Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, they haven't apparently read the Catalyst reports that show companies with more women and minorities on their boards perform better in the marketplace.

My takeaway of this current slate of nominees is that it’s business as usual.  Which leads me to ask:

• Would the meltdown of the financial services sector and the markets have happened if more women were serving on the boards of these former financial services giants? 
  

• Would the risky investment behavior have prevailed if more women were serving in the executive suites?

• Would the danger signals have been noted earlier had there been more women directors and officers?

What’s your take? 

P.S. Soon you will be receiving your annual reports if you own stock in a public company.  Check the list of board members and executive officers.  If there are no women or too few, visit the ION website for the steps you can take to make your voice heard about nominating more women.